Let’s Talk About How We Got Stuck in Mérida Traffic Hell

Mérida traffic is so bad these days that the notion of a quick errand in the car has become as quaint as the city’s colonial past. How did we get here? How do we get out?

On a sweltering Friday afternoon, an endless procession of vehicles crawls north to south along Paseo de Montejo, the grand boulevard once compared to Europe’s finest avenues. Traffic stretches from the Justo Sierra statue past the Monumento a la Patria all the way to Prolongacíon Montejo. At the same time, mostly empty bike lanes wait for the occasional cyclist braving the heat. The lanes were controversial because they leave less room for cars.

The numbers tell the story, as reported today in Diario de Yucatán: From June 2023 to June 2024, Yucatán’s vehicle fleet swelled from 1,034,153 to 1,102,172 — a 6.6 percent increase in just one year. Private cars alone jumped from 598,705 to 630,667, while motorcycles surged from 261,138 to 287,942.

The absurdity of Mérida’s traffic reached a breaking point for public accountant Fernando Ojeda Llanes in February. Leaving home at 10:30 a.m. to pick up a friend at the airport — a journey that should take 20 minutes — he didn’t arrive until 12:15 p.m., nearly two hours later, Diario reported.

He blamed the chaos partly on changes to Avenida Aviación, where yellow traffic lights now prioritize the Ie-Tram public transit system, creating bottlenecks throughout the corridor. The charming yellow “Bienvenidos” welcome arch was demolished to make way for the extra lane for the bus line, which a new wave of politicians is challenging.

Engineering a Mérida traffic crisis

René Flores Ayora, a traffic engineer and auditor at the National Accident Prevention Center, has identified multiple red flags that have turned daily commuting into an ordeal.

On Paseo de Montejo alone, drivers must wait through three to four complete traffic light cycles at each roundabout just to proceed from the Monumento a la Patria to the end of the avenue. “We need to synchronize the traffic lights to create a wave of green,” Flores said.

The Mérida traffic problems extend beyond the famous boulevard. On Calle 34 approaching the Los Héroes area, only four vehicles can pass through the intersection during each green light, leaving long queues of frustrated drivers. Behind the Military Hospital, road modifications have created what Flores calls “a labyrinth,” so confusing that he vowed never to drive through it again.

Meanwhile, the convergence of major arteries — Itzaes, Aviación and Internacional avenues — has created additional chokepoints where infrastructure improvements have prioritized public transportation over traffic flow.

Public transit paradox

Mérida’s public transportation system, while receiving infrastructure investment, suffers from fundamental design flaws that actually worsen congestion. Ninety-five percent of bus routes force passengers to travel downtown even when their origins and destinations lie elsewhere.

“Many people need to go from one neighborhood to another, but they have to pass through the center to catch another route,” Flores explained. Only three circular routes — Periférico, Metropolitano and Circuito Colonias — bypass the downtown core.

The downtown bus stops themselves create additional bottlenecks. When a bus takes 10 minutes to load and unload passengers on a two-lane street, traffic flow drops by 50 percent.

The Mérida traffic crisis has deadly consequences. Through April, 78 people died in traffic accidents across Yucatán this year, with the Periférico ring road ranking as the third most dangerous highway in Mexico and the deadliest in the state, claiming 20 to 25 lives annually.

Flores attributes much of the problem to inadequate road safety education. Many drivers have never read the state’s traffic regulations, updated in May 2011 to include helmet requirements for motorcyclists, seat belt mandates and prohibitions on texting while driving.

New national speed limits aim to address the crisis: 20 kilometers per hour around schools and hospitals, 30 km/h in downtown areas (reduced from 40), 50 km/h on major avenues (down from 60), and 80 km/h on ring roads.

“If we respected speed limits, traffic fatalities would be reduced by 50 percent,” Flores said.

Looking ahead

Gov. Joaquín Díaz Mena’s plan for a Metropolitan Ring Road offers hope for easing congestion, though Flores warns that more comprehensive solutions are needed.

While he opposes implementing big-city-style driving restrictions in Mérida for now, he acknowledges they may become necessary within five to 10 years as the city continues to grow.

“The backbone of any city is a good public transportation system,” Flores said. “In cities with good service, many people who own vehicles leave them at home. Having a good system makes a city more prosperous.”